page_title: Angat Watershed Forest Reserve
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Angat Watershed Forest Reserve / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of a portion of Angat lake at the Angat Watershed Forest Reserve, Bulacan, Philippines. The view seen is south of the artificial lake, just before the Angat Dam (not in view).
context_page_description: The Angat Watershed Forest Reserve is a conservation area that protects the drainage basin in the southern Sierra Madre range north of Metro Manila in the Philippines where surface water empties into the Angat River and its tributaries. It is spread over an area of 62,309 hectares in the eastern portion of Bulacan and northern Rizal province at an altitude of between 490 and 1,206 metres. The conservation area also extends to the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Quezon and is centered on an artificial lake created by the Angat Dam which, together with the Ipo Dam located 7.5 kilometres downstream, supply 97% of the water requirement of Metro Manila via an aqueduct system to the La Mesa Dam and Reservoir and the Balara Filtration Plant in Quezon City. The Angat Dam and Reservoir is also a major source of hydroelectricity for Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, contributing some 200 megawatts to the Luzon grid. The watershed is a popular birdwatching site and is a biodiversity hotspot containing most of the remaining closed-canopy forests in Central Luzon.
context_section_description: The Angat Watershed Forest Reserve is located approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Metro Manila largely in the mountainous eastern region of Bulacan. It contains the headwaters of the Angat River, a tributary of the Rio Grande de Pampanga, and stretches along upper Angat River from San Jose del Monte and Rodriguez to Doña Remedios Trinidad, and extending to General Tinio and General Nakar. The forest reserve is divided into two sub-catchment areas: the Forest Range and the Metro Water District. The Angat Watershed and Forest Range, also known as the Angat Watershed Management Pilot Project Reserve, covers 6,600 hectares (16,000 acres) in San Jose del Monte, Norzagaray and Rodriguez, and supports the Ipo Dam, which has a capacity of 7,500,000 cubic metres (260,000,000 cu ft) and a spilling level of 101 metres (331 ft). It is under the administration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. The Metro Water District, also known as the Angat–Maasim River Watershed, covers the remaining 55,709 hectares (137,660 acres) and contains the Angat Hydroelectric Dam, which has a reservoir capacity of 850,000,000 cubic metres (3.0×10¹⁰ cu ft) and a normal water level of 212 metres (696 ft). The Angat Hydropower Corporation, a joint venture of San Miguel Corporation and K-water, has managed the reserve since taking over ownership of the hydroelectric power plant from the National Power Corporation in 2014.
  The watershed is characterized by hilly to mountainous topography and a moderate to intensive forest cover. It is considered as one of the few remaining well-forested and well-managed watersheds in the country.
  The highest peak in Bulacan, Mount Oriod, rises to a height of 1,206 metres (3,957 ft) at the border of the two sub-catchment areas in Norzagaray. It also contains Mount Maranat, a popular destination for hikers and is also visited for its waterfalls. These mountains in the southern Sierra Madre range feed the Angat River's water source from its three major tributaries: the Talaguio, Catmon and Matulid Rivers. It stretches downstream from the watershed into several municipalities and irrigates more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of prime agricultural lands before draining into the Pampanga River in Calumpit and eventually exiting into the Manila Bay. Additional water supply is fed into the Angat reservoir through the Angat–Umiray trans-basin tunnel which runs for 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Umiray River on the eastern side of Sierra Madre in General Nakar.
  The reserve is home to an indigenous population known as Dumagat tribe which inhabit twelve sitios in the villages of San Mateo, San Lorenzo and San Isidro in Norzagaray, and Kabayunan in Doña Remedios Trinidad. In December 2014, the National Power Corporation inaugurated the Angat Rainforest and Ecological Park within the reserve in Sitio Bitbit, San Lorenzo, Norzagaray. It offers many different opportunities for nature and outdoors enthusiasts including the hilltop view deck, ecological center, and the Tarictic fun trail. A museum of natural history is also planned for the park, as well as a Dumagat cultural heritage site, seedling propagation, rattan gene bank and a bambusetum. 
  The Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape borders Angat Watershed on the south, while on the north, it is also contiguous with the 20,760-hectare (51,300-acre) Doña Remedios–General Tinio Watershed Forest Reserve. It is also bordered by the Biak-na-Bato National Park and Minalungao National Park on the west and northwest. It is accessible from Manila via Quirino Highway, Del Monte–Norzagaray Road and Bigti–San Mateo Road in Norzagaray.
caption: Aerial view of the forest reserve
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